National Republican., 1887-01-22
NO LONGER THE MISSING LINK.
Elmira Howard, From n Monstrosity,
Becomes n Pretty Girl.

philadelphia Times
Elmira Howard was for several years an
exhibit in the dime museums throughout
the country. Her career as a human curl
osity began when she was IL years old, and
while 1t lasted she was known in show life
as the Missing Link, because her face was
so badly malformed that she scarcely looked
human. Protuberances from her forehead
gave demoniac aspect, and she heightened
the impression by letting her hair grow
tousled, by wearing primitive clothes, and
by maintaining gibbersh wildness of ut
terance.
When she became an adult she shrank
from publicity and retired from the muse
ums, living afterwards with her parents, at
2lS Seventh avenue, New York. Lately
she determined to have surgical operation
performed, In the hope that she might be
relieved of her singularity. She went to
several hospitals in this city, but the sur
geons generally dlsfavored her idea, 80 long
as the proposed experiment did not seem
essential TO her health. Then she consulted
DR.. G. w. Gay, president Of the Suffolk
County Medical Society, who had been
familiar with two operations of the sort.
As related by Secretary s. j. Mixter, OF
that association, the curious operations
mentioned were by DR.. ID. w. 'Cheever, of
Brooklyn. The first was a young man,
who had bony Jumps under the eyes,
and their steady gr, with was slowly
destroyiIg g his vision. The difficulty In the
operation determined on consisted In pre-
serving the nose from Disagreement.
Curved incisions were made over the eX-
crescences, aud, the everything parts having
been pushed back, the bone forming the
Jumps were chiseled off. Then the skin
and flesh We're fastened in place and the
face, on recovery, was greatly improved in
appearance. The second case was less
happy In its results. The patient was a
girl and the growth was on her forehead,
whence 1t was removed, but there proved
to he also jutting into the brain by a
similar formation, and she subsequently
died.
The missing link insisted stoutly on being
cured or killed. She longGd to look like
normal women, and the more so as she had
a sweetheart who had offered marriage. She
had made her consent conditional on hel
acquiremeut OF reasonable comeliness, fol
she did not believe that his love would en-
dure long with hideous wife. The surgeon
found that the fossa consisted OF substance
as hard as bone, and not distinguishable
from the skull, out from which 1t grew. The
skin of her forehead was stripped up from
the eyebrows, the cut being made along 9
line where the eyebrows would hide the en-
suing scar, except right above the bridge
of the nose. The bony horns being barred
by laying the flap of skin over the tor
OF her head, a mallet and chisel
deftly yet vigorously welded, Clipped
away the undesired substance. Car,
and skill were required, for nothing marked
the junction OF the skull, and it was requi-
site to cut off only just enough to constl
tute smooth, safe surface. The job tool
over two hours, and during that time tht
girl was kept wholly unconscious by chloro
| form. DR.. Cheever was assisted by DR.
Charles D. Homans, Of the Brooklyn Cit,
Hospital, and number Of students watched
the work, which was finished by the careful
replacement of the skin, neat sewing uF
OF the wound -and an antiseptic dressing
Miss Howard is utterly ruined as curiosity
but mas bee ONE decidedly pretty girl.